Mr. Speaker, Conservative members are laughing, but in fact they are going to be losing Canadian jobs because more and more countries are putting trade restrictions on products from countries like Canada that are climate change laggards.

Why are the Conservatives jeopardizing Canadian jobs with their backward approach to climate change? It is shameful.

Michelle RempelConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, in spite of the Liberal government's inaction on climate change and its record of increased emissions, our government is taking an international leadership stand. We want to have all major emitters sitting around the table and developing an agreement that would see real change in greenhouse gas emission reduction. We have a sector by sector approach that will see domestic action at home. This plan is working.

With regard to the fossil of the year award, the member opposite should know that the real award that counts is that our country sits on top of the G7 with regard to economic growth and job creation.

Gerald KeddyConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade

Mr. Speaker, we were successful in signing the comprehensive economic trading agreement with the European Union. There is something that will go up in Canada, without question. There will be a $12 billion annual boost to the Canadian economy, a $1,000 increase to every family's income, and somewhere in the neighbourhood of 80,000 new jobs created.

In the meantime, we will continue to look after Canada's best interests and that includes pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Speaker, our government has acted responsibly to ensure that residents of Attawapiskat have access to safe and warm shelter for the coming months. We delivered urgent funding to renovate existing homes on the reserve and brought in much needed supplies quickly. What is more, we have provided the chief with a detailed action plan to address the situation.

Could the minister please update the House on what else we are doing for the community to ensure results for residents and Canadian taxpayers?

John DuncanConservativeMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, our priority is the health and safety of the people of Attawapiskat. Real progress is being made for the residents and Canadian taxpayers.

Today I announced the purchase of 15 modular homes for delivery to the community. I have also ordered a comprehensive and independent audit to identify how money has been spent and what oversight measures have been taken in the last five years.

We want to ensure the people of Attawapiskat get the results they deserve and all Canadians expect.

Pierre PoilievreConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, Air Canada has official language obligations. According to the act and the requirements that the federal government put in place a long time ago, Air Canada must meet those obligations. Our federal government supports the Official Languages Act, and we expect other organizations that have the same obligations to meet them.

Mr. Speaker, the government is about to require $8 billion in cuts per year, twice as much as it anticipated in its economic statement presented just one month ago. At the same time, the Conservatives are going to spend $19 billion on prisons, $30 billion on fighter jets, and tens of millions of dollars on monarchist symbols and the commemoration of a forgotten war against the United States.

Will the Minister of Finance get his priorities straight by making cuts in those areas and guarantee that service to the public and transfers to Quebec will not be affected?

Andrew SaxtonConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and for Western Economic Diversification

Mr. Speaker, this review is focusing on responsible government spending to ensure ongoing value for Canadian taxpayers. This review is also an opportunity to modernize how we do business. Canadians have trusted us to make responsible, reasonable and judicious decisions.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for raising that. I would encourage him to go back and talk to his constituents. I think that many constituents across this country, and we are using the average family of four as an example, have actually got 3,000 more dollars. The best people to ask are the constituents who have that money in their pockets.

Mr. Speaker, the reason I am introducing this legislation is that over the 14 years I have been here, many groups, including the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, the Canadian Federation of Students, various college associations and university groups have come to Ottawa, but they have not had a specific minister with whom to discuss their educational concerns.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to table a petition from the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Evron on behalf of the Canadian Religious Conference. This is a group of retired nuns who have served around the world and who are deeply concerned about the inaction of the government on climate change.

The petition supports the interfaith call for leadership and action on climate change. The signators call on the government to recognize that global warming is a reality, that climate change affects all Canadians and people around the world. We cannot wait for others. We should lead by example. Our emissions can be reduced.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to sign and implement a binding international agreement to commit to national carbon targets and a new national energy policy and to implement climate justice by contributions to UN funds for clean energy and mitigation for poor nations.

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present this petition to the House. All the petitioners come from the wonderful city of Calgary, Alberta.

The petitioners say that they want to protect the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as the national public broadcaster as it plays an important role. In the current media environment, public broadcasting is an essential promoter in both French and English. Canadians benefit from a shared national consciousness and identity as seen through CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC/Radio-Canada plays a crucial role in the conversation in this country. Every dollar that Canadians invest in public broadcasting creates almost four dollars in economic value.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to maintain stable and predictable long-term core funding for the public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada, in support of its unique and crucial role.

One has to do with child pornography. Citizens are concerned about the creation, use and circulation of child pornography. They are calling on the government to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to stop the Internet as a medium for the distribution of child victimization and pornography.

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from folks who are very familiar with the issue of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency. They are concerned about that. They call on the House of Commons to urge the Minister of Health to consult experts who have been actively engaged in the testing and treating of CCSVI, to urge the Minister of Health to proceed with phase III clinical trials and to urge the Minister of Health to require follow-up of patients with Doppler ultrasound and clinical examinations.

There is one thing that she did not talk about much in her speech, which is the urgency of adopting this bill,which has resulted in yet another gag order. I would like to hear whether she thinks it is urgent that we pass this bill immediately. I will quote clause 5 of the bill, which states:

Unless the context indicates otherwise, in these rules, the population of a province is the estimate of its population as at July 1 of the year of the most recent decennial census.

We have just had a census, so the people who will set the riding boundaries will use the figures that will be published on June 1, 2012. In light of that, why is it so urgent that we pass this bill right now? We could have a few weeks of debate and it would not affect anything.